Scars of My Heart"
by Kellios
Summary: Cloud and Tifa share a moment of pain, angst, and a feeling the two of them never had before.


…::Scars Of My Hearts:::…  
  
Written By Kellios. 2001  
  
All Characters, places, and ideas invovled in the game Final Fantasy VII are copyrighted to   
Squaresoft, 1997.   
  
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Tifa ran the cool water from the spring onto her bare back. She was at Wutai, after Meteor had   
fallen. The world was safe, and now Cid and the others agreed to drop people off via Highwind. Tifa had   
wanted to go back to Nibelheim, and she was; with Cloud. Otherwise, everyone else was going back to   
his or her respected homes, and Vincent to Lucrecia's Waterfall. Barret and Cait Sith (or Reeve) was   
already dropped off at Corel. Next stop was Yuffie, and the crew decided to stop near Wutai to get some   
sleep.  
  
Tifa remembered from her travels of a spring that was in the Wutai continent, and that's where she went   
to bathe herself.  
  
She threatened everyone that if they followed her to the spring, she would kick their asses back to when   
meteor was still falling. No one dared follow. Tifa looked around, but didn't see Cloud.  
  
"Barret, if you see Cloud, please tell him what I said when you see him,"  
  
"Sure," Barret replied, and off Tifa went.  
  
Tifa had her wash cloth and was running it through her silky, chestnut hair. The aura around the spring   
was filled with the noises of the forest that cradled the spring. The birds chirping and the soft wind   
through the rattling leaves were peaceful to Tifa. The water was about four feet deep, compared to Tifa's   
five feet, seven figure. The water at a cool temperature, and had a little waterfall over the rocks from a   
river that past the area. The rocks surrounded most of the spring, except for the front, which had bushes   
to make up for the entrance. Tifa remembered the beauty of the place, and was glad that she came back to   
look at the nature of the place, and to let her debate her thoughts as well.  
  
Ever since that night under the Highwind, Tifa found herself thinking of Cloud and her future, even more   
than usual.  
  
"Does he care about me?" Tifa has asked herself so many times now. "It seems that night he did… but is   
he still thinking of her?" Tifa closed her eyes, and placed her hand on her heart, just above her bosom.   
Her finger then felt a scar. She opened her eyes, and traced the scar that Sephiroth had given her. It was   
an ugly, torturous reminder of her past enemy. From her right breast until underneath the left, crossing   
against her heart and her soul on it's way. She put her hands together in a fist over her heart, lowered her   
head and had her eyes closed once more. A rustling sound from the bushes near the entrance made her   
turn her head over her shoulder, and gasp in horror.  
  
Cloud stood there, with no shirt on, a towel draped over his shoulder, with a shocked expression on his   
face. Quickly, he turned bright red and turned his head to the side, as not to stare. Tifa, even more   
embarrassed, turned her head around, and had her back face him, and sank onto her knees in the water.  
  
"Didn't Barret tell you I was gonna be here?!" Tifa stated with irritation, and truly red.  
  
"I…I didn't go back to the airship," Cloud stuttered in defense and paused, "Guess I'm not the only one   
who knows about this place."  
  
An awkward silence fell upon the two. Tifa still bright red had the wash cloth plastered over her chest as   
not to expose herself. Cloud scratched the back of his head, and looked at the woman in front of him.  
  
"Ya know, I've never told you how beautiful you are," Tifa's eyes were shocked at the statement, but   
didn't turn her head around to face Cloud. "From here, the water glistering off you hair, the water makes   
your skin look so silky…" He finished quietly.  
  
Tifa closed her eyes.  
  
"From a distance, things do look beautiful. But, when you get up close, you see all the battle scars, and   
one has a wound so deep that it'll never heal," She stated in a calm voice. A silence fell. Cloud scratched   
his head once again, and looked at Tifa.  
  
"And the same could be said about me… people just pretend to be close when in fact are very, very far   
away. Only do those scars truly heal when someone is close that has the last antidote to heal," Cloud   
remarked; Tifa turned her head to face the man she loved.  
  
"And there are times when that person is close, but will rip and pick and make those scars bleed. That   
someone then leaves, and there is no one else to heal you," Tifa concluded, looking into Cloud's blue,   
Mako eyes. Silence fell once more.  
  
"Tifa," Cloud began, "is that why you stay so distant to me? Because you are afraid that someone else   
will make your scars bleed when they take me?" Cloud said, looking straight into Tifa's eyes. She   
couldn't answer him, and she turned her head again, to avoid his eyes. Tears were at the brink, but Tifa   
held them back, and took a deep breath. Cloud started to enter the water at knee depth.  
  
"Tifa," Cloud whispered, "Please, look at me." Tifa slowly turned her head, looking at Cloud less than   
three feet away.  
  
"Look at my hands," He turned his palms up to her, "The scars of my battles, the scars of my life, the   
scars of my heart are here. But Tifa… these scarred hands need to grasp, or they will be too bloody, and   
they will slip." Cloud looked up and met Tifa's gaze. Cloud moved in closer, right up next to her. Tifa   
turned her head to him once more, and closed her eyes. Cloud reached out and caressed the chestnut hair   
colored hair in front of him.  
  
"Grab onto my hands, Tifa, before I slip and loose you forever,"  
  
Tifa slowly turned her body to face Cloud, the washcloth still covering her bosom, and stared into   
Cloud's eyes.  
  
"Tifa, I love you. I love you with all of my heart. A love that completed my life, if I were to spend the   
rest of my days with you," Cloud's eyes began to swell, "please, tell me… how you feel about me."  
  
Tifa had tears running down her cheeks. Her dream finally had come.  
  
"I have been waiting day and night to hear those words come from your lips," Tifa took a breath, "Oh   
Cloud, I love you too. I love you so much. I have always wanted to be with you, always by your side."   
Tifa finished with hot tears running down her cheeks. She felt Cloud's hand wipe her face of tears, and   
placed it under her chin. Tifa looked into Cloud's smile. Slowly, Cloud brought his mouth to hers. Their   
lips met with fierce passion, and both of them closed their eyes. Tifa cautiously dropped her hands and   
washcloth, and wrapped her arms around Cloud's waist. Cloud ran his hands up and down Tifa's bare   
back, passion sparking between the two. After the sweetest moment of their lives, Tifa broke, both of   
them still in the intimate embrace.  
  
"Do you know how long I've dreamed of this?"   
  
"Same here. Ages. But, let's not waste time talking now," he smiled, and kissed her again, his soul flying   
in his heart.  
  
Their hearts met, and took off together, never caring about the time, place, people or enemies. Only   
caring about each other. 


End file.
